Shot in 4 different languages (including English) by French director Francois Girard, The Red Violin defies categorization as a foreign film. In fact, many critics have asserted that this independently produced film defies categorization entirely. Possibly one of the most well done movies in the last decade.

Done in similar style to Claude Lelouch's Les Uns et Les Autres and Max Ophul's La Ronde, but far better. The movie follows the creation and ensuing history of a legendary violin created during the Italian Renaissance. In 4 seemingly unconnected vignettes, the violin influences the life and loves of it's pivotal characters in different countries around the world. The vignettes range from the darkly comedic to the pathos of doomed romance and political revolution. The film climaxes as all the stories are drawn together into a final 5th vignette that rivals any modern Hollywood blockbuster.

Take a chance on this one. This film is NOT for the intellectually faint of heart, yet it doesn't require a comprehensive knowledge of world history to be enjoyed. Because of the film's scope, some critics have called the vignettes "thin" or "disconnected." In its defense, I don't know how these criticisms could be answered without turning the movie into a miniseries, which would have made it unwatchable.

This is one of the few movies that pulls off being an unlikely mixture of a "chick flick", a fast-paced dramatic thriller, and a morality fable- but without being ridiculous or overreaching. At the very least, it will get you and your date talking.

NNDB has added thousands of bibliographies for people, organizations, schools, and general topics, listing
more than 50,000 books and 120,000 other kinds of references. They may be accessed by the "Bibliography" tab at
the top of most pages, or via the "Related Topics" box in the sidebar. Please feel free to suggest
books that might be critical omissions.